Russia’s Plague Mystery: Why U.S. Officials Want Answers

A Russian laboratory worker is dead.Hospitals have been quarantined.Contacts have been monitored.And U.S. officials are asking Moscow for more information.But what actually happened remains uncertain.In Episode 310 of The Secret War on Cash, Dean Heskin and Chris Agelastos of Swiss America Trading examine the developing mystery surrounding the death of a 28-year-old worker at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.The worker died after being diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown origin.The institute she worked for studies plague as well as other dangerous diseases.Reports of her death quickly drew international attention after Russian authorities implemented anti-epidemic measures and quarantined the medical facility where she had been treated.The Washington Post reported that U.S. agencies including the CDC, State Department and other health and national-security organizations were seeking more information.But there is an important distinction.Russian authorities have not confirmed that the woman died from pneumonic plague.Russia says testing has found no plague-related infection among identified contacts, while U.S. officials have cautioned that the immediate risk to Americans appears low.Dean and Chris nevertheless explain why the story instantly evoked memories of the earliest period of COVID-19.When an unfamiliar infectious-disease story first appears, incomplete information can create fear long before the medical picture becomes clear.The second article discussed in the episode focuses on MIT biologist Kevin Esvelt.Esvelt has publicly questioned whether the reported response in Russia is consistent with an ordinary laboratory accident involving pneumonic plague.He argues that reports of multiple hospital quarantines, hazmat measures and security involvement deserve closer scrutiny.But those concerns must be kept in context.Esvelt’s more disturbing explanations remain hypotheses.There is currently no confirmed evidence that the worker was infected by an engineered pathogen, that a biological weapon was involved or that Russia deliberately released anything.The hosts then bring the conversation back to money.COVID demonstrated that a major disease outbreak can transform financial markets almost overnight.Stock markets plunged.Supply chains froze.Governments spent extraordinary amounts of money.Central banks intervened aggressively.Inflation eventually surged.And investors increasingly looked toward assets such as physical gold and silver as forms of diversification during a period of extraordinary uncertainty.That is why Dean and Chris believe this story belongs on The Secret War on Cash even though it begins in a laboratory rather than on Wall Street.The question is not whether another pandemic has begun.At this stage, there is no evidence establishing that.The question is what happens financially if the situation becomes larger than current officials expect.Brought to you by Swiss America Trading.Get your complimentary Secret War on Cash Report:Call or text: 1-800-289-2646https://www.swissamerica.com/social